Posted on May 22nd of 2022

Unique Las Vegas Strip Venue Nears Completion

The project, which sits near the Venetian Resort and Casino, has elicited a lot of "wait, what the heck is that" responses since it first started to take shape.

Las Vegas has just about every sort of structure imaginable. The famed Las Vegas Strip literally hosts a casino that looks like an Egyptian pyramid (MGM Resorts International's (MGM) - Get MGM Resorts International Report Luxor) as well as replicas of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower (at MGM's New York, New York and Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) - Get Caesars Entertainment Inc Report Paris Las Vegas respectively.

Those structures don't even stand out as all that unique on a street that features a near-endless array of properties designed to get your attention. That could be in the gaudy style of Caesars Palace's Roman architecture or the bold gold color of Wynn Resorts (WYNN) - Get Wynn Resorts, Limited Report properties.

The new project being built just east of the Venetian's Expo convention center, looks like a giant circular structure. It's attention getting and it's getting closer to opening for business.

The mystery structure is actually the first-of-its kind MSG Sphere, a new sort of entertainment venue. It's 366-foot-high steel sphere that will "be covered with about 580,000 square feet of fully programmable LED panels, forming the largest LED screen on Earth," according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The replica will only be 1/75,000 the size of the moon, but that's large enough to accommodate 4,000 guest rooms and suites. Plans for Moon Resorts Las Vegas also include a 75,000-square-foot spa, 50,000-square-feet of food and beverage offerings, 75,000-square-feet of retail, and 150,00-square-feet of clubs and lounges. "The 17,500-seat venue will have a high-resolution display plane, which is larger than three football fields, the world’s largest beam-forming audio system with more than 160,000 speakers and it will deliver superior sound to every seat in the house."

The structure will soon be "topped off," according to the paper, but it's not expected to open until 2023. It's an eye-catching venue that promises to deliver some unique experiences that has cost its owner MSG Entertainment (MSGE) $1.3 billion so far, according to comments made during the company's most-recent earnings call.

The Moon Resort in Las Vegas is one of four lunar-themed properties planned to open around the world in 2026 or 2027. Beyond this Las Vegas property, others are planned for the Middle East, China, and Spain.